Engine for the propulsion of vessels.



J. WILLIAMS- ENGINE FOR THE PROPULSLQN 0F VESSELS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, I914- Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

",bodied in a variety of other mechanical I "s ATEsPATENT OFFICE.

v JAMES WILL-Inns, or annex- LI), c1110."

To all wit-(mt it may concern Be it known that-I, JAMES ZWILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canfield, in the county of Mahoning and. State of Ohio, have invented 'certainnew and useful Improvements in Engines for the Propulsion of Vessels, of which the fol- I lowing .1s a specification.

" a provide means whereby vessels can be .pro-" ,pelled by ane second, to provi e meansor directing the -ple construction.

-My mvention relates to engines for the propulsion of vessels inwhich one or more cylinders or tubes are employed, which cyl inders are open ended and are designed to be kept cool by water jackets common to gasolene or fuel engines.

. The objects of my vention' are, first, 'to

l'osive en 'ne. or'"eng1nes,

movement of the vessel, and third, to provide an economical engine or enginesof sim- These objects, together with-otherl'objects readily apparentto those chosen byway of example.

' 2 is a horizontal; section of a vessel showing 7 skilled in the art I attain by the constructionillustrated in the accompanying drawmg,fa-lthough; my invention may be emforms; the construction illustrated being In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of an engine embodying my improvement and a portion of the vessel containing such engine and the pants belonging-thereto. Fig.

various angles. Fi 3 is'a side elevation of a submarine vess'e showi away. Fig. 4 isav detached view of jthe openparts broken piston.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all figures ofthe draw ng.v J

I 1 cylinder,

' of the cylinder;

limited by suitable 'flanges 4 In the accompanying drawing --1. 'regresents a cylinder or tube whichis'locate 1n; the bottom portion of the vessel andgls surrounded by the water jacket'2. The cylinder' 1 is open at' its outer end and is to be located below the water. line of. the vessel.

Within the cylinder 1 is located the piston 3 which piston is slidably; mounted in the cylinder and the outer face of the piston is in contactwith the water contained in the said water entering the open end The movements of the piston 3 are 7 and 5 which flanges are fixed j-in spaced re Enema non. THE PROPULSION 0F vnssnns.

Patented Jan; 4, 1916, Application meaning 30,1914. Serial No. 848,256. Y

venting back. pressure an or lationship with reference to each other in the cylinder 1 inany convenient and .well known manner. Within the cylinder 1 are located the hollow or openpistonfi and. the

solid piston 7, said pistons being connected toggether by meanso the rodlO. or the purpose of. supplying a mixture ofgair and gas to the cylinder 1 the air tank 8 1s provided and a gas tank. 9, said tanks being; of any well known construction and theusual means '(not shown) for filling the gas tank' 9 is also provided. "Compressed air is also. supplied to the air tank 8 by any well known meansybut owing to the fact that the method or operation of compressand 9. For the purposeof regulating the amount .of gas an'd'air, suitable valves 14 are provide which valves are of the usual construction and for the puilgglsezof preary check valve 15 is provided, which checkvalve may be: of any well known construction such as is upon the market and no detailed construction is necessary, as such check valve does not'enter into the present invention except that, a check 'valve'of some construction must necessarily be present;

The operation of the engine isas follows:

' After a certain amount of fair and gas passes into the "cylinder 1 between the pistonsfi and 7, or more ecifically between the-pistons '3 and"? a'su cient. amount of pressure will be produced .to overcome the spring 16, thereby moving the contact ,plug or point .17

upward and incontactwith the plate 18,

thereby closing the circuit and causing an explosion by means of the usual spark plug 19. The devices for, producinga spark may :beof the construction shown,- but the arrangement may be varied as the only purpose so' far as the present invention is con- 'cerned is to provide means for causing an explosion of the air and gas by the sparking of the plug 19. Afterv the enginehas been put in motion ,the'various explosions will, act upon the spring or the pressure will lift the spring, thereby causing the sparking ,ofthe plug for the next following explosion. When an explosiontakes place the force of the explosion will be exerted against the sliding piston 3 and the solid piston 7, moving the piston 3 toward the stop flange- 4, said piston 3 acting against the water contained in the cylinder, which by reason of the back force exerted by the forwarder sliding movement of the piston 3, will thereby movethe vessel. For the purpose of providing exhaust the piston 6 moves backward with the piston 7 thereby opening the exhaust pipe 23. For the purpose of .movin the pistons 6 and 7 in the opposite direct on from that given to them by the explosion a quantity of air is fed from the 'air tank 8 through the pipe 20, whereby an air pressure, is exerted upon said piston.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated a number of cylinders 1 arranged at different angles-With reference to the vessel, but do not illustrate the mechanism pertaining to such cylinders, owing to the fact that it would be a duplicationof the mechanism shown in Fig. 1 but in I order to control the movementsof the vessel the cylinders are located at different angles and the mechanism of the various cylinders brought into action to the direction desired.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated a submarine propel the vessel in vessel showing the cylinders arranged for lowering and elevating the vessel. Two cylinders' are shown but the number may be 1ncreased-withoutfleparting from the nature 4 of the present invention. For the purpose of lowing the'escape' of the heated water or the v allowing water to pass into the chamber formed by the Water jacket 2 the bottom of the vessel is provided with suitable pipes 21 through which pipes waterwill pass and surround the cylinder 1. As the water becomes heated itwill find its way against the cold water which enters the pipe 22 thereby -alcooling down of the same byth'e mingling of the water entering the'pipe 22. Y For the purpose of pr ovidin means for conveying the products of com ustion thepipe 23 is prov1ded,which pipemaylead to any part of the vessel, but preferably above thewater' I line. For thepurpose of limiting the movement of the spaced pistons Band 7, a flange 24. is provided, which-flange is located. be-

'i tween the spaced pistons and secured in any fco'nvenient and well lmown mannerto thethe movements of thevessel or; bring-the Itwill be understood that by bringing'into action the propelling devices or throwing them out of action I; am enabled to regulate sameto a'stop.

' of two witnesses.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. In an engine for the propulsion of .ves-

sels, the combination of an open ended cylinder adapted to receive Watery-said cylinder provided with flanges spaced apart, a piston located/between said spaced flanges and adapted for contact with the water contained in the cylinder, pistons located in alinement with the aforesald sliding pistons, said pistons spacedapart from each other and connected together, one of said pistons provided with openings, a spark plug adapted to produce explosions intermediate the pistons 10- cated in alinement with the sliding pistons located in the spaced flanges in the cylinder.

2. In a device of the character described, thecombination of a vessel, an 0 en ended cylinder located in the lower portion of the vessel, a water jacket surrounding said cylinder and spaced therefrom, assages leading to the cylinder, and a water exhaust pipe leading from the water jacket, a sliding piston, means for limiting the movements of said sliding piston, spaced pistons located in vessel, a Water jacket surrounding said cylinder and spaced therefrom, passages leading from the water contact surface of the vessel to the cylinder, and a-water exhaust pipe leading from the water jacket, a sliding piston, means for limiting the movements of said sliding piston, 'spacedpistons located in alinement with said sliding piston, one of said spaced pistons open and the other solid,

air and gas tanks,'means for conveying air and' gas to the cylinder between the spaced pistons, means for conveying air to the inner or closed end of the cylinder,- ..and means for .from the water contact sur ace of the vessel v producing. an explosion between the sliding piston and the spaced piston. v t

In testimony-that I claim the above,I have hereunto subscribed by name in the. presence JAMEsmiLLiA s. Witnesses:

s. A. Amen), C. G, FQWLER, I 

